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They say to truly understand a man, walk a mile in his shoes, but how much insight do you really want into Buster Brown's terrifying Randy-Quaid-in-Kingpin haircut, or Stephon Marbury, who as far as the Knicks are concerned might as well've been Ishmael Boorg. For kicks with meaningful inspiration, try Clae

One of the O.G.'s of "athleisure" (dress shoe looks/sneaker comforts), Clae's spring drop features two fresh designs and 13 brand-new, brightly accented colorways, all honoring great men, from a jazz poet (Langston Hughes), to a man who never got to play the Jazz (Bill Russell). The newbies are the Gonzo-repping "Thompson" high-top (leather upper/interior, mad-thick rubber sole) and the canvas, tennis-preppy "Kennedy", meant to rep not just Jack, but also Bobby and Teddy, who deserve credit just for getting out of bed each day with names like Bobby and Teddy. Re-upped mid-tops include the perforated leather/suede "McQueen" (now in concrete, camel, and eggplant) and the classically styled "Parker" (nubuck-leather blend w/ mesh cutouts in ruby, taupe, and "black ballistic"); low-tops're highlighted by the all-leather, two-toned "Diego" (Rivera; forest and black) and the leather-upper'd, neoprene-heeled, Velcro-strapped boat shoe "Cousteau" -- whose "Caribbean" garishness could only be muted by stepping in aquadung.

Come fall, Clae will expand the line further, notably with a high-top/hiking boot hybrid called "Khan" -- named for the Mongol, notorious for hosting mad orgies in SUVs packed with dirty hordes.